I ran to Rachel's lips and tried to pry them open. I needed to escape before Rachel ate her lunch and me along with it. I slipped my hands between the soft red lips and pulled up. I lifted with all of my might but they wouldn't budge. I stopped lifting and took a quick breath. Then I tried once again and it actually worked!

I moved forward to make my escape when the lips closed on top of me. I was crushed between the two lips and struggled to escape. It didn't hurt, but was more of a discomfort, like being hit by a giant marshmallow. Then the lips parted once again, only to come crashing down once more. I never really lifted Rachel's lips. She was actually talking to someone and I was being smashed with every word. After some time, Rachel's lips parted long enough for me to jump back inside her mouth. I needed a more well-thought plan.

*******

After class Rachel and Abby met in the hallway. "Hey, do you know what they're serving for lunch today?" Abby asked.

"I don't know. I brought my lunch today." Rachel said as she held up her lunch box.

"That's probably a good idea. You know how the food here can be sometimes."

"Yeah, I only buy my lunch when I forget my lunch box at home."

"I thought about packing my lunch once, but then I realized that I'm too lazy to make it."

"So how was your last class?" Rachel turned her head as she asked this question and some of her hair flew into her mouth. She grabbed hold of it, pulled it out, and tossed it to the side.

*******

I sat on Rachel's tongue as she had her conversation. Well, "sat" is a very loose term. Held on for dear life is more like it. As Rachel talked, her tongue moved around a lot to make the words. I had to hold on to the tongue like it was a bucking bronco.

Rachel's tongue stopped for a moment when she stopped talking. I looked ahead and noticed a familiar brown rope lying at the front of the mouth. Rachel had gotten her hair in her mouth. This was my chance for escape.

I leaped forward and grabbed hold of the hair just as it was pulled out. I was squeezed through the wet lips and flung to the side. Luckily I didn't hit Rachel's armpit again and instead hit her shoulder. I looked down and saw that I had bright red lipstick smeared across my body.

I couldn't climb while Rachel was moving, so I held on until she sat down to eat. I watched her pull a sandwich out of her lunch box and take a bite. I was glad that I escaped that, but I could only hope that it wasn't hurting Stacy.

I then climbed up the hair until I reached Rachel's ear. I took a leap of faith and grabbed onto her small hoop earring. I pulled myself up and then grabbed onto the pierced part of her ear lobe and pulled myself up again. Finally I grabbed onto her ear canal and pulled myself inside.

I walked through sticky ear wax toward Rachel's ear drum and hoped she could hear me over the noise of the lunchroom. I reached the ear drum, cupped my hands, and shouted her name.

*******

Rachel was simultaneously eating her lunch and talking to her friends. "Okay, so yesterday I was just chilling at home using my phone when suddenly Mom says-" She abruptly stopped talking and started looking around.

"What's the matter, Rachel?" Abby asked.

"I thought I just heard Jacob call my name. Maybe I'm just hearing things."

"You mean the Jacob you've had a crush on since freshman year? Maybe you're hearing his voice cause you like him so much."

Rachel blushed a little. "Come on, Abby! You know I don't like to talk about that in public. Besides he probably doesn't even like me back."

"Well, you're never gonna know unless you ask him. It's been almost two years since you first met him. You really need to make an attempt."

"I could never do that. You know how shy I am."

"Okay, but don't blame me when you become an old cat lady."

*******

I was about to call out a second time when I stopped to hear the conversation between Rachel and Abby. As I listened I was shocked. Rachel had a crush on me for as long as I had one on her. I was overjoyed, but I had to stay focused. I called out her name once again.

*******

"There it goes again. Jacob, where are you?" Rachel said as she looked around again.

"Please stop moving your head. You can't see me. I'm inside your ear."

"Inside my ear?! You mean like you're talking through an ear piece?"

"No, I mean I'm physically inside your ear. I shrunk to less than an inch tall and now I'm inside your ear."

"Hold on. I'm moving somewhere more quiet so I can hear you better." Rachel stood up and walked into the girl's restroom.

"What the heck was that all about?" Asked a confused Abby.

Rachel walked through the restroom and into a stall. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a cotton swab. She stuck it into her ear and said, "Grab on."

*******

I was greeted by a giant ball of fluff on a stick. I grabbed on and said, "Okay, I'm ready!" I was pulled out of Rachel's ear and into the air. Then she set me down on the front of the toilet bowl and I let go.

"Wow! You really are small! How did you get like this?" Rachel's voice was as loud as thunder, but still sweet and soothing.

"Well, it all started this morning when-"

"Let me stop you right there. I can't hear a word you're saying. But I have an idea. I'll be right back."

I watched Rachel leave and heard the door open and shut. A minute later she returned and said, "I got something to help us communicate." She reached down and pulled out a bag of horn-shaped corn chips. She opened the bag, grabbed a chip, and set it down in front of me. "Now you have a little megaphone."

I cupped my hands and shouted "Hello" into the funnel.

"Yes! I can hear you!" She exclaimed. Now it was time to explain everything.